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21st March 2019, 01:46 PM
#1
Long, interesting voyage
The recent terrible events that have struck Mocambique reminded me of a time in 1975 when I was 2nd mate on a tanker discharging in Beira. The voyage actually started in October 74 when I flew to Tenerife to join a product tanker as 3rd mate. From Tenerife where we loaded we discharged in doula, French Cameroon, Lome and Lagos (apapa side). From there we went to the Tyne for guarantee drydocking. I was then promoted to 2nd mate and sent over to Rotterdam to join a new build product tanker in van Der guisen yard. Sailing from the yard we went to Russia, Norway, the states, Holland and all points north, south,east and west.
At one point we loaded power station fuel oil in the isle of grain for discharge in Beira. On arrival there we tied up to a pier that was covered in all sorts of baggage and furniture. It turned out that Mocambique had just gained independence from Portugal and these were the belongs of all the expat Portuguese going home after independence. The place was in a mess, going ashore even the banks were offering 3 times the official exchange rates for any foreign currency. Discharge took days in part due the state of the pipeline and distance to the shore tank but also the river was covered in mangrove ferries that kept getting sucked into the cooling water intakes, requiring frequent stops to clear them. After a week spent discharging we eventually finished and sailed to lourenco markes to load power station fuel oil!!!. This tools days and after completion we went to Durban to complete loading, which took a couple of days. Then off we went, once again round the cape, bound for European discharge and where did we discharge, only kingsnorth power station about 5 miles from where we had loaded the same stuff we took to Beira!!!.
Stayed on board that ship doing more voyages across to the states, around the Caribbean and Venezuela evenly paying off in July 75 in cape Verde islands and would you Adam and Eve it, the cape Verde islands were in the process of gaining independence from Portugal. Took us 4 days before we got of the islands only to land in Lisbon to find the army on the streets and the country in turmoil and on strike. Another 3 days before we actually got a flight out back to London and once home, phoning the office to report in and all they said was "did you enjoy your little holiday".
Rgds
J.A.
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29th March 2019, 04:33 PM
#2
Re: Long, interesting voyage
I half expected you to say after "did you enjoy your holiday...….because we want you to join M.T---...….straight away
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30th March 2019, 11:03 AM
#3
Re: Long, interesting voyage
Originally Posted by
ian walsh
I half expected you to say after "did you enjoy your holiday...….because we want you to join M.T---...….straight away
Ian
After a month at home they phoned me asking if I wanted to rejoin the same ship. I was going to say yes but when they told me I would be flying to Greenland to join it, I turned it down, which I regretted when I later found that after Greenland she went to Canada, west coast USA and then out to the far East on a long term charter running around Indonesia and even spending time on the New Zealand coast.
After two months at home I joined a forest product ship in terneuzen and did another six months trip. Discharging copra in Hamburg then going to the states to load bagged rice, drill pipe, drill trucks, buses, S.U.V's, a huge mobile crane, oil terminal gear and a drill rig (in 4 nodules) on deck, along with flat bed trucks. Loaded in orange and Houston, Texas for discharge in Santos, Durban, Kharg island, an oil field in the middle of the Persian gulf, eventually ending up at anchor for months along with around about another 100 ships, waiting for a berth to discharge in Basra. Paid off in Kuwait when we did a quick cash there to get stores and fresh water. That was another great trip. The ship eventually got into Basra and after discharging the remaining motor vehicles was promptly arrested over claims that the bagged rice was contaminated with copra beetles ( it wasn't as the whole ship had been fumigated with a particular nasty gas by the USDA prior to loading the bagged rice, she ended up spending around 2 years at anchor in the river at Basra while the legal arguments went on.
Rgds
J.A.
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